


Love at the end of the world

by lezzerlee



Series: AELDWS 2015 [4]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Gift Giving, M/M, zombies only mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 15:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5380484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lezzerlee/pseuds/lezzerlee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What they miss, when the world goes to shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love at the end of the world

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to EarlGreyTea68 for the beta! So generous and helpful throughout this challenge.

Arthur skips a stone across the placid surface of the pond they’re navigating around. His voice cuts through the relative silence that is the constant background hum of cicadas and singing birds. “If you could have one thing again, just one thing, what would it be?”

Eames tilts his head. “Now that is a dangerous question. A good way to depress yourself, thinking about the unobtainable luxuries of the the past. Torture, really.”

Arthur rolls his eyes. “Don’t psychoanalyze out of answering the damn question. Humor me.”

“Funny, I’m doing the opposite,” Eames grins. “You’re the one asking the psychoanalytical question, I’m avoiding answering it.”

“Eames.”

“Oh, fine. I miss people.”

Arthur raises a single skeptical brow.

“I miss being able to observe, to find relative safety getting lost in a crowd. These days, every person we come across is a threat and the only crowds are the undead. We’re always calculating if someone will shoot us before we shoot them. Not so different from our riskier former engagements, but there used to be downtime.”

Arthur frowns. “That is far more poignant than I was expecting.”

“Why, what would your answer be?” Eames asks.

“Well, now I have to come up with something good.”

Eames almost laughs, but contains himself. “I won’t judge. I promise.”

“Bullshit, you judge everything.”

“Cross my heart, hope to die.”

“I will actually stick a needle in your eye,” Arthur sneers.

“Disturbing,” Eames laments. “Tell me, anyway.”

Arthur shrugs his shoulders. “I miss cashews.”

Eames hums. “Ah yes, the misfortune of loving imported goods.”

“I hate you, you know. You could have said something like tea.”

Eames does laugh at that, and slings his arm over Arthur’s shoulders. “You love me.”

“Yeah, I do.”

***

It’s a miserable day, rain pouring down like a waterfall as they shelter inside the crumbling ruins of a small public library. They’re lucky to have found it, weather as it is, but Arthur’s nearly climbing the wall being confined inside. It’s too dangerous to wander with such low visibility. The undead don’t mind the wet.

Reading only helps so much. Eames slips the plastic jug he’s been hiding out of his pack and slips behind Arthur as he stares forlornly out the window.

“I have a gift for you,” he says. “I was going to wait for your birthday, but you seem like you need it.”

Arthur takes the canister from Eames, grin splitting his face like sunrise on the horizon. Eames wants to kiss his dimples a thousand times to make up for how little he’s seen them over the last few months.

“Cashews,” he says in quiet wonderment, before his eyes go wet and he looks away on a deep inhale to control himself. “I wish I could get you what you miss the most, but I don’t think it’s possible.”

Eames pulls Arthur to his chest, tucking Arthur’s face into his neck as he murmurs, “Don’t worry, darling. I have you. That’s all I need.”


End file.
